I'm A Celeb's Maura Higgins looks wildly different in old snaps of wild ring girl days

Maura Higgins found fame on Love Island but was brushing shoulders with celebrities long before that when she previously strutted her stuff as a ring girl for boxers

Maura Higgins has never been one to hide among the shadows.

The I'm A Celebrity contestant, 34, rose to fame on ITV's reality dating show Love Island in 2019, with the likes of Molly-Mae Hague and Tommy Fury, but she was no stranger to the spotlight prior to that. The Islander worked as a ring girl for well-known professional boxers, including former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua.

Maura was one of the grid girls when Joshua had his weigh-in with Russian Alexander Povetkin in 2018, and she was also pictured next to 2012 Olympic gold medallist Luke Campbell as he prepared for his rematch against Yvan Mendy. The Irish presenter would regularly strut her stuff at Bellator MMA events and brush shoulders with celebs.

Not one to hide her light under a bushel, Maura told boxer Tommy - younger brother of former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury - about her ex-profession in the villa. In a bid to impress him, she said: "You're a boxer – you know I'm a ring girl? I've only been doing it like two years. Joshua. His last two or three fights in London."

While Maura and Tommy didn't work out, she has gone on to date many famous faces, including Love Island's Curtis Pritchard and Chris Taylor, Strictly Come Dancing's Giovanni Pernice and Bobby Holland Hanton, a stunt actor for Chris Hemsworth. Most recently, she has sparked romance rumours with TOWIE's Pete Wicks.

The pair were spotted kissing at the Pride of Britain Awards last month and have hinted at how close they are in interviews. When asked by the Mirror if she had been on a date with Pete before her I'm A Celeb debut, Maura said coyly: "I mean, I've been on a date with many people", adding that she is "very much single" at the moment.

Maura added: "Honestly, I just think the interest in my dating life is so boring. People go on dates. Like everyone goes on dates, but then it suddenly becomes that I am in a relationship with this person, or that person."

The Irish star has since spoken about her love life in the jungle, as she told campmates Jane Moore and Danny Jones last night how she once got revenge on an unfaithful ex. Maura revealed she decided to go on Love Island after abruptly breaking up with a boyfriend who she discovered had been sending messages to other women.

Sharing her brutal revenge plan, Maura explained: "I had a plan and no word of a lie, when he went to the gym the next day I got his toothbrush and I filmed myself scrubbing in the verges [of the toilet], he had a dentist appointment that day!" She also candidly told the pair: "I considered taking a dump [in his hot tub]."

Maura was also previously linked with the son of Barry McGuigan - boxing coach Shane McGuigan, 36. Maura and Shane briefly dated in May 2018 after the pair met when she was booked as a ring girl for the David Haye vs Tony Bellew rematch. At the time, Shane was there covering the match.

The pair dated for a short time before splitting amicably, and are said to have remained friends. At the time of their romance, a source told The Sun: "Maura has brains and beauty and she quickly caught Shane's eye. They got chatting and had instant chemistry so of course he asked her out.

"At the time Maura lived in Ireland, and Shane was running his boxing gym in London, and she was travelling a lot for work so it wasn't easy to pull off." They added: "There were no hard feelings when it ended. It turned out to be short lived and the spark fizzled out."